


Lost and Found

by Parasite_Satellite



Category: Fortnite (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bonding, Family Reunions, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:42:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29983728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Parasite_Satellite/pseuds/Parasite_Satellite
Summary: When Skye makes a new friend from another world, she makes her top priority to help him find his sister. No problem, right?
Kudos: 4





	1. Part 1

"-From the looks up here. It seems like Weeping Woods is in the clear. Over." Skye spoke in a professional tone, looking down into the woodland area below. All she saw was an ocean of greens and browns in various shades, one hand holding a water bottle and the other holding a walkie talkie. Skye leaned in and began to mimic the sound of static with her mouth. She looked at her walkie talkie. Some of the stickers were starting to peel off. No biggie, they have plenty of stickers to replace them with if they came off. While she waited for a reply from Remedy, Skye decided to sit down and relax for the time being. She leaned by the zip line and watched the clouds dance in the sky. 

"Fingers crossed we won't get any rain later today," Skye smiled, patting her Ollie beanie on her head. She pulled down her blue denim jacket to her elbows and started to drink out of the water bottle. By the looks of things, today was going to be perfect. 

"Copy that," The static voice of Remedy replayed from the walkie talkie. Skye grinned, holding the walkie talkie close to her ear, "What's the status of the watchtower? Over." Remedy questioned, the static slowly fading.

Skye gazed back out into the landscape. She turned to her right. Not too far from here was the Weeping Woods Watchtower. It's roof barely peaking out from the sea of trees. Strange, why was Remedy curious about the watchtower? It wasn't like there was anything important in there. She's been up there before. The only crucial piece there was the fridge. Skye placed her water bottle to the side of her as she answered Remedy's question, her eyes never leaving the roof. "The watchtower appears fine, over."

"You've been up there?" Remedy questioned back.

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean, not exactly? Don't tell me you've just been sitting on the cliff all day."

Skye bit her lip. While it was correct that she's spent her mission relaxing on the cliff's edge, it wasn't her fault. Weeping Woods is massive. There's no way it can take one person one day to explore the entire woods. It's quite common for a few people to get lost in there from time to time. To her, it was a genius idea to scan Weeping Woods from the top of the cliff. She can see the whole forest below her. If not for the leaves on the trees, Skye could have a clear view. She leaned closer to the walkie talkie, she responded. "Of course not. What do you take me for, a rookie? I'm just by the bridge. Over."

"If you're by the bridge, then why can't I hear water?" Remedy asked, her voice growing cold.

Skye gulped, trying to think up another lie. She replied. "I said I'm by the bridge, not on the bridge. I'm right next to the main building."

"I thought you said you left the main building an hour ago?"

"I-I did. I went back to double-check the car park. You can't be too sure these days."

"Are you ok, Skye? You sound nervous." 

"Me nervous? Please, I'm Ghost's greatest adventurer. I can tackle anything that comes my way." Skye moved her arm to get more comfortable while she talked to Remedy. However, the sudden movement caused the zip line base to send a static shock through Skye, making the young girl squeak in surprise. 

"Skye, what happened?"

Skye pulled her denim jacket back on her shoulders. She clarified to her fellow agent. "It's just a bird, nothing to fret." She could hear Remedy sighing on the other end.

"I knew it was a bad idea to send out there alone. Look at you getting scared by birds. Do you want me to send one of the Ghost Agents to look after you?" 

Skye visibly pouted at Remedy's question. If she hadn't been holding the walkie talkie, she would have crossed her arms in annoyance. Her eyes narrowed as she assured herself. "Remedy, please, this isn't my first solo mission. I've been doing these since my first day on Apollo. I'm an adventurer. I can handle myself." 

"You sure you don't want me to send Could Striker to look after you?" Skye could hear the concern in Remedy's voice. Sure she means well, but sometimes, to Skye, it feels like Remedy underestimates everyone. 

"No, I don't need Cloud Striker. I've been on Apollo longer than her. If anything, I would be the one looking after her."

"Alright, I see your point. I can't help but worry about you sometimes. You're only a kid."

Skye rolled her eyes at Remedy's words. The one thing she hated most was people underestimating her skills and abilities because she was a teenager. It didn't help that she was the youngest person on Apollo, next to Lexa. Sure being the youngest had some benefits sometimes, but it gets annoying when people regularly undermine her or talk down to her. She's seventeen, for crying out loud, not a child. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. She'll have to get used to it until Skye leaves the loop she's stuck as a seventeen-year-old. By the looks of things, it seems that day is never going to happen. She gazed at the walkie talkie, speaking again in her usual tone. "I'll be ok, Remedy. Look, if you're worried about me, I could call you back as soon as I reach the watchtower. How does that sound?"

A second later, Remedy's static voice arose from the walkie talkie. "That sounds good to me. Right, call me back the moment you're inside the watchtower. If I don't hear back from you in 10 minutes, I'm ringing the rangers."

"Do you have to do that?"

"Skye, we don't know what we're dealing with at the moment. All we know is that we're getting strange singles from the island, and right now, they're in Weeping Woods. You've got to be on high alert. That's why the rangers hired us so we could help them out."

"Ok, I see your point. I'll call you back shortly. Skye out, over."

"Take care over."

Skye sighed, placing the walkie talkie into her lap. One of her hands began stroking her beanie while the other started to pack away her things in her bag. She glanced at the watchtower roof again before pulling herself back up. "Come on, Ollie," She spoke, still stroking her beanie. "We've got a mission to complete. Time to show Remedy just how good I am at being a Ghost Agent." She pulled out her blue sword from her bag and started making her way towards her destination. 

Three days. It's been three days, and Orin is nowhere close to finding Lexa. He grumbled to himself he should have located her by now. He pushed some hair from out of his eyes and looked down to the scanner placed on the counter. It displayed a black and red aerial shot of Weeping Woods Green dots danced around the screen. He knew what those were, they were lifeforms, and they weren't Lexa. He glanced through the window in front of him to see a sea of trees. In hindsight, the watchtower seemed like a good idea to scout out for Lexa. It would have given him an eagle-eye view. Instead, all he saw was leaves and branches for miles on end. "Don't worry, Lexa," He muttered to himself, adjusting his mechanical gloves. "I'll find you, and everything can go back to how it was before." With that, he picked up the device and placed it into his backpack before leaving the watchtower and heading downstairs. 

"I'll be fine," Orin reassured himself, pulling out a map from his backpack. It displayed the entire island of Apollo. Craggy Cliffs, Pleasant Park and Salty Towers all had red x's crossed over them. "Weeping Woods doesn't seem that huge as long as I don't run into any IO Guards. I have nothing to worry about." Orin shuddered at the memory from yesterday of his first run-in with the IO Guards at Pleasant Park. If it hadn't been for Vendetta coming in to rescue him, Orin would have been toast. Orin put the map away, determination growing in his eyes. The sooner he finds Lexa, the sooner they could leave Apollo and find a home.

"Halt in the name of the Imagined Order," 

Orin stopped in his place, one foot on the grassy ground. His blood ran cold when he looked up to the sight in front of him. There standing under the watchtower, was an IO Guard. Orin gulped, he knew there were some IO guards at Weeping Woods, but he thought they were near the caravans. Orin steadied himself. "There was only one here," he told himself. They could easily take him down. "I'm not taking orders from the likes of you," Orin barked, a hint of worry in his voice. "I don't know what sick plan the IO has for Lexa, but I'm telling you now, she's coming home, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." 

Something seemed to snap within the IO Guard. The moment Orin mentioned Lexa's name, he aimed his gun right in Orin's face, his hands clenching to the weapon, ready to fight. Even with the mask on, Orin could tell they wanted to hurt him. "Over my dead body, criminal!" The IO guard snarled. "Agent Jonesy gave us orders to keep the hunters safe and to keep the likes of you contained."

Orin cringed when he heard Agent Jonesy's name. It felt like yesterday when he entered their world and took Lexa with him back to Apollo. Orin remembered painstakingly tracking her down. He remembered all the sleepless nights he had, worrying about her safety. But what kept him up the most was the thought of never seeing her again. It's taken him eight weeks to travel to Apollo. Besides, he's not going to let all that go to waste. He moved into an attack position, one hand dancing above the knife in his pocket. He smirked, ready to fight. "Good luck trying to take me out motherfucker."

The sound of a gunshot bought Skye to a halt. Her eyes widen in surprised as she looked towards the watchtower ahead of her. It sounds like it came from there. Holding her sword tightly for dear life, she swallowed her fears down when she started to make her way towards the watchtower. "Don't worry," She reassured herself, one of her hands letting go to pet her beanie for a few seconds. "Best case scenario, one of the rangers accidentally fired their gun. Worst case scenario, I might need to call back up." She sighed, holding the base of her sword firmly. "It's ok, Ollie. I know my limits. I won't attack unless I need to." She readied herself up, keeping the sword close to her while she inched closer to the base of the watchtower. 

Her body stopped when she reached the base of the watchtower. In front of her was an IO guard fighting off someone she didn't know. The confusion started to grow in Skye. Why was an IO guard attacking someone? That made no sense to her. Usually, the IO guards pay no mind to the island residents and focus on defending the hunters and protecting Hunter's Haven. The only time the IO guards attacked someone was when they got threatened, but no one was that dense to do it. Skye watched intensely, seeing the stranger avoid another bullet before ducking behind a wooden pillar. The IO Guard aimed their gun at him and fired the shot. The sound of him screaming sent a shiver down Skye's spine. She shook her head. They can't just stand there and watch someone get killed. Regardless of who they are. She was Ghost's top agent, and she was going to help him. 

"Leave him alone," Skye screamed, jumping in between the boy and the IO Guard, her sword ready to attack. "I don't care what he did, but you are not going to lay a finger on him."

"Stay out of this, Ghost Agent," The IO Guard growled, holding the gun towards her. "I've got orders from Jonesy to take him down." He fired a warning bullet. Skye moved her sword so that the cartridge can bounce off from it. She looked at him with fire in her eyes. 

"Funny enough, I got orders to keep him safe."

"From who?"

"From me," Skye lunged at the IO Agent. She kicked him in the knee while knocking the gun out of his hands with her sword. The sudden force caused the IO Guards to collapse to the ground in surprise. Before he could react, Skye kicked him again. The strength of the attack made him roll backwards down the hill. When he was out of her sight, she picked up the gun and chucked it in the opposite direction, straight into the river. 

The only thing Skye could hear was birds squawking in the air. She looked down to the reflection of herself in her sword, a grin growing on her face. "That's what you get!" Skye yelled, staring down from the hill at the IO Guard. "Ghost, one. IO, zero." She pulled a funny face at him, satisfied with her achievement. 

A groan from behind her snapped Skye out of her victory. Turning around, she saw the stranger leading by the wooden pillar. "Oh, goodness, are you alright?" Skye questioned, darting over towards the boy. The moment Skye got a good look at him, she froze. He seemed different compared to everyone else on Apollo, and that was saying something. He looked like he came from another world. His maroon coloured trousers, blood-red eyes and bleach white hair reminded her of Lexa. Did he come from her world? "Hey, can you hear me?"

The boy looked up straight to Skye, one hand gripping onto his arm. He answered her with a distant tone. "I'm fine. He just grazed my arm." He tilted his head, observing the girl who rescued him. "Who the hell are you?"

"Glad you ask," She cleared her throat with a smile. She placed her sword in one hand. "I'm Skye, Apollo's most renowned adventurer and Ghost's top agent. I saw the commotion, so I came to help you." 

"Ghost Agent?" He questioned, removing his hand from his arm and pulling himself up. "You don't look like a ghost."

"Wha-Oh. No, that's just our name. We're not sprites, so you don't have to worry about me possessing you." Skye chuckled at her joke, the boy's expression never changing. "So I told you my name, what's yours?"

"...Orin."

"Orin? That's a cool name. Nice to meet you, Orin."

Their conversation ended when the two heard a sound behind them. The IO guard was walking up the hill back to them, and he sounded mad. Skye glanced back at Orin. He was shivering, and his eyes turned to pinpricks. Without thinking, Skye grabbed Orin's hand and looked at him straight into his eyes. "Run," She ordered. The two sprinted away from the tower, dashing through the tree as if their lives depended on it. 

"Phew, I think we lost him," Skye sighed, her hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath in between words. She leaned by the tree, turning her head to stare into the woodland area. She couldn't see a single IO Guard. "That's the downside to wearing heavy armour. It makes you a slow runner." She looked back to Orin. He sat crossed-legged on the grassy floor, staring at her with a confused expression on his face. "What's up?" She asked, sitting down across from him. 

"Why did you help me?" Orin asked in a distant tone, never taking his eyes off her. 

"Because the IO Guard attacked you. Duh." Skye beamed, reaching into her bag to pick up her walkie talkie. "It didn't feel right seeing you fight on your own you could have gotten seriously injured. Why was the IO Guard attacking you? If you don't mind me asking."

"Because they don't want me to finish my mission."

Skye gasped, leaning closer to Orin. "A mission? Are you a spy?"

"What? No, why would you ask that?" 

"Because I'm a spy too. I told you before I work at Ghost. It's one of the main two organisations on Apollo. The other being Shadow."

"I thought spies were supposed to be secretive about who they work for?"

"They are. It's just everyone knows about Ghost and Shadow." She brushed some hair from out of her eyes. "So, if you're not a spy then, what kind of mission are you on?"

"That's none of your business," Orin muttered, looking away from her. 

"Oh, I get it. It's a secret mission. I understand." Skye glanced at her walkie talkie, standing straight. "Can you give me a minute? I promised my friend I would call her back when I got to the watchtower," She pulled off her beanie and handed it to Orin. "If you get bored, just talk to Ollie."

"Who's Ollie?" Orin questioned as Skye started to walk away from him.

"My beanie, silly." Skye chuckled. "Don't worry. He's really good at keeping secrets." 

Orin's eyes jumped between Ollie and Skye, the girl leaning by a tree not too far away, talking into her walkie talkie with a smile on her face.

"I'm back," Skye sang, walking towards the trees with a skip in her step. "I told you it would only take a few minutes. Hope Ollie kept you comp-" Skye peered around the tree, expecting to see Orin. Instead, all that was there was Ollie, laying on the cold grass below. Orin was gone. "Ollie?" Skye whispered, kneeling towards her beanie and picking him up. Dusting off the specks of dirt that covered his body. "Where's Orin?" She looked up to see Orin walking away in the distance. "Hey, wait!" Skye called out, placing the beanie on her head and running towards him at lighting speed.

"What do you want?" Orin questioned, turning his head to see Skye now inches away from him. 

"You're leaving without saying goodbye?" murmured with a sorrowful tone. The two now walking side by side. 

"Look, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I need to finish my mission."

"But don't you want any help?"

"Thanks, but no, I can do this myself."

"Are you sure? Cause last I saw, you were getting your butt kicked by that IO Guard. It's ok to ask for help, you know, everyone needs it, even the strongest among us need some assistance now and then. You don't have to tell me the mission if you don't want to."

"I'm fine, Ghost Agent. Please leave me alone so I can find Lexa." Orin stopped in his tracks, mentally cursing himself for speaking her name. 

"Lexa?" Skye stopped walking as well. "Lexa? The girl with the anime looking robot suit?"

"You know her?"

"Of course I do. Lexa is my friend. The two of us spend the weekends together, going on adventures with Razor." 

"Prove it. How do I know you're not just lying to me."

Skye complied, pulling out her phone and turning it towards him. On the screen was a picture of Skye, Lexa and Razor in Sweaty Sands. The three of them pulling silly faces together. "Here you go, I hope that's enough proof you need," She reasoned, not noticing the hopeful look in Orin's eye. 

"Do you know where she is?" Orin asked, determination and hope rising in his voice. 

"Yeah, she lives in Hunter's Haven. I can take you to her if you want."

To Skye's surprise, Orin lunged at her, hugging her in a tight embrace. Skye, not knowing what to do, hugged him back. Orin pulled away, both his hands on her shoulders. "Yes, please, thank you, that would be great," He smiled with an upbeat tone. "Oh my god, what do I owe you?"

Skye pulled a toothy grin, holding his hand with her own. She bubbled. "The only thing you owe me is eternal friendship." The two smiled, Skye leading the way to Hunter's Haven, the teens unknowingly still holding onto one another's hand. "So, how do you know Lexa?"

"We're siblings. Twins, to be more precise."

"Twins? That's so cool. Well, that explains why you two look so familiar." 

"Yeah, we get that a lot. When we were little, we used to dress up as one another to prank our friends. Do you have any siblings?"

"Sadly no, I'm an only child, though I do like to see Tina, Brutus and Midas as older siblings. They're close friends of mine, and they look after me. Maybe it's because I'm the youngest person on Apollo."

"Really, how old are you?"

"I thought boys weren't supposed to ask girls how old they are." A chuckle escaped her mouth, causing Orin to look away with an embarrassed expression on his face. His face turned pink. "I'm joking with you. I'm seventeen."

"Really? Me too."

Skye's eyes lit up, the tone in her voice becoming enthusiastic. "You are? Yay! I'm not the youngest anymore!... Wait," Her voice lowered back to its usual volume. "Lexa's birthday is before mine. Dam it!" 

At that moment, Orin let his walls come down. His body relaxed while he tried and failed to contain his laughter from Skye's words.


	2. Part 2

The two had been walking for an hour now. No longer in Weeping Woods, they were now walking along the roadside outside the forest. A gentle breeze danced in the air while the flowers swayed to the motion. Skye and Orin walked side by side. Other than the birds, the sound of the two talking echoed through the green valley around them. Skye placed her hands behind her head. She smiled, listening to Orin talk about his interests and hobbies. Surprisingly, they had a lot in common. They just spent the past hour talking about Star Wars and their favourite video games. Orin almost gasped in shock when Skye pulled out her phone to show him a picture of her mini-scale replica, Death Star.

"Woah! That's so cool." Orin exclaimed enthusiastically, staring at the image on her phone. "I've always wanted one of those, but they're too expensive." 

Skye pulled her phone away from Orin's face, placing it back into her trouser pocket. She smirked. "That's the perks of having a friend that can turn anything to gold." 

"I still don't believe that your friend has magical golden hands. I mean, magic isn't real." 

"Maybe in your world, it isn't, but here in Apollo, magic is real, and it's as natural as night and day." The wind began to pick up its pace, causing Orin to shiver slightly. She gazed back at him, noticing Orin crossing his arms together for warmth. His teeth chattered lightly. Stopping in her tracks, Skye pulled down her bag and took off her denim jacket. Orin halted to look at her. 

"What are you doing?" Orin questioned, watching Skye take off her jacket.

Skye grinned, handing him her jacket. She chirped. "I'm giving you my jacket, you're shivering, and I don't want you to get a cold." 

"But what about you?" 

Skye answered Orin's question by handing him the jacket, after which she started untying the red sweater that hung around her waist. "Don't worry about me. I got my lucky sweater to keep me warm." She watched Orin place the jacket onto his body. She remarked. "Be careful with that. I got some rare pins on it." She pointed towards the four buttons placed on the jackets left side, each varying in size and colour. "Woah, denim suits you. If I didn't like my jacket, I would let you keep it." Skye failed to notice the smile growing on Orin's face. 

Orin adjusted Skye's blue jacket, looking down to the buttons, trying to decipher their meanings. "Where did you get these?" Orin Questioned, pointing towards one of the pins. 

In response, Skye answered in her usual friendly tone. "Most of them were gifts from friends. I don't know where they got them from, though. They look pretty cool none the less. Except for that one." She pointed to the button near her chest pocket. "I got that badge on the same day I bought my favourite book. 'The Dragon King and The Zodiac Queen'.

"Dragon King and Zodiac Queen?" Orin raised an eyebrow. "Never heard of it. What's it about?"

"Well, it's about this guy that has to protect the Zodiacs from monsters based on Greek Mythology. In the book, the Zodiacs are colourful orbs that can grant people magical powers based on said Zodiacs."

"Sounds interesting. What's your favourite thing about it?"

"I have to say the romance aspect of it. What can I say? I'm a sucker for love and romance."

Orin couldn't help but chuckle while Skye nudged him in the shoulder, winking at him with a smile on her face. "Guess I'm going to have to check out the book after I see Lexa." He spoke casually. "Do you have a favourite character?"

"Yeah, of course, her name is Annie Marine, she's the main character's best friend. She doesn't have any magical powers, unlike the other characters, but she's still the strongest member of the group."

"Does she have a love interest?"

"Yes, she has a crush on this mysterious guy called Mason. He acts all secretive and mysterious, but it turns out that he's just a shy guy that has a huge crush on Annie. They get together in book four, which I'm happy about."

"Book four?"

"it's a series of books. The sixth and final one is going to be released later this month. I'm so excited." Skye hopped in place, a squeal of enthusiasm escaping her mouth. 

The two began walking off from the roadside and into the grassy hills leading towards Hunter's Haven. Orin's eyes darted to the valley and then back to Skye. He snickered. "You're a pretty passionate girl. I like it. You know, I have a feeling we're going to be good friends."

"We better be. You owe my eternal friendship."

"Wait, you were serious?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be? Do you know how annoying it is when you're the youngest person on Apollo? It was a nightmare before Lexa arrived. Don't get me wrong, I like everyone here, but it's nice to have friends your own age, you know."

"I understand. Back home, I didn't have many friends my age either." 

"Well, that changes now." Skye pulled a toothy grin, reaching out to hold onto Orin's hand without a care in the world. Orin looked down in surprise before looking back to Skye, who pointed to the mountains ahead of them. "Up until the end of time, we're going to be an adventure duo, no wait, an adventure trio. Once you reunite with Lexa, the three of us can travel around Apollo doing all kinds of teenage stuff, like drinking soda on the rooftops or partying in the arcade. Better yet, we could go around solving mysteries like in those retro cartoons." She turned her head to look at him, skipping in her steps. "Sorry, it's just it's been so long since I've been around people my age, I kind of miss hanging out with other teenagers. Do you think we'll be good friends?"

Orin grinned, his voice becoming soft. He looked at her in the eye as he replied in a gentle tone. "You know what, Skye, I think we'll be the best of friends. From my time here, you and Vendetta seem like the coolest guys here." 

Skye stopped in her tracks. She gazed at Orin with bright eyes, her smile never fading. "You said my name!" She squeaked cheerfully before skipping again, still holding onto the Orin. "I've only been your friend for an hour, and I've already got a promotion." Skye jumped in place, the speed in her walking increased. 

Orin held onto Skye tightly, catching up with her, never wanting to let her go. He smirked to himself, he's never met anyone like Skye before, and they don't think he'll meet anyone similar to her in the future. Orin didn't know what to do. He originally planned to find Lexa and return to their world, but then what? It wasn't like there was anything or anyone was waiting for them back home, plus he's grown to like Skye. They can't just leave her after becoming her friend. Not after he 'owed' her eternal friendship. Surely it wouldn't hurt to stay here for a little while. 

The two teenagers sat crossed legged at the top of the hill, looking down below to view the entire scenery of Hunter's Haven. The modern houses nestled tightly into the mountains around them. Orin observed every home individually, making mental notes over small, minor details that each one posses. His posture hunched while he fidgeted in his spot. After two months of what felt like endless searching, they were finally going to see Lexa again. He never expected to get this far, not after all the failed attempts he got in the past. "Which one is hers?" Orin questioned, rubbing his hands together, waiting for her answer."

"It's that one," Skye replied enthusiastically, pointing to the house with her sword. "It's the one closest to us." She tilted her head back and punched the air with her free hand. "Our adventure is almost over. Are you excited to meet her, Orin?" 

The white-haired boy glanced towards Skye after hearing her question. He didn't know how to feel, honestly. Sure he was excited, but at the same time, he felt nervous as if something in the last second was going to go wrong. He unconsciously held his breath before answering Skye's question, his voice no longer having a confident tone to it. "I guess so. It's just after everything it feels too good to be true."

"I understand what you're saying," She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's ok to be nervous when meeting someone you haven't seen in a while. You worry that's it's not going to go how you want it. Or that some outside force is going to come in and wreak everything you've worked for." She moved her arm off him and pulled herself up. "If you're worried about something happening to us, don't worry. I'll be here for you. As long as we're together, nothing bad can happen to us." She held out her hand for Orin to hold, pulling him back to his feet. 

Orin gave a small grin looking back out into Hunter's Haven. He froze when his eyes caught something in the middle of houses. There, standing in the centre, were four IO Guards. Three of them held their guns close to them while they talked to the fourth guard. What caught Orin's eye was that this IO Guard didn't have his weapon. His uniform appeared rumpled and dirty. Orin held his breath, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"What's wrong, Orin?" Skye questioned with worry.

"Skye, look," He pointed to the fourth IO Guard. "It's him, the guard you attacked earlier."

"Oh, shoot." The two crouched by a nearby bush, trying to keep themselves out of sight. "I knew there were IO Guards here, but I didn't know he was going to be here." 

"What are we going to do?"

Skye put a finger to her lips, thinking about what the best course of action to take was. She uttered in a quiet voice. "Lexa has two doors, one in the front and the other in the back." Skye pointed to some stairs leading up to a door in the back of Lexa's home. "If we use the back door, the guards won't see us."

"But what if they hear us? I know from experience that these guys have supersonic hearing."

"If that's the case, we'll need a distraction, but what?" Skye's hand reached for her head to scratch while thinking of another plan. The second her fingers made contact with her Ollie beanie. An idea popped into her head. Her eyes lit up as a smile grew on her face. She leaned closer to Orin, pointing to her hat. She spoke with excitement in her voice. "I got it! We'll use Ollie. He can distract the guards for us."

Orin raised an eyebrow, slowly blinking in a hollow response to Skye's idea. "What?" He deadpanned. 

"I said we let Ollie distract the guards for us-"

"Yeah, I heard you. I'm asking is how will it distract four IO Guards?"

"Simple, he'll fight them."

"Ok, I am completely lost. Either I'm missing something, or you're messing with me." 

"I'm not messing with you."

"Then how is a hat going to fight four trained machines?"

"Like this," Without hesitation, Skye pulled her beanie off her head. She stood up straight, facing the IO Guards. With a crooked smile on her face, they chucked her Ollie beanie towards them, the hat going at lighting speed. Orin was about to ask Skye why she did that until the sight in front of him made Orin stop in his tracks. He watched as Skye's beanie began to grow in size, it's body becoming fluffier by the second, and it's yellow wings started to flap in the air. It grew and grew until it looked like to be half the size of Skye. Orin watched in amazement and bewilderment, seeing the hat transform into a round, fluffy creature. 

"What is that thing?" Was all Orin could blubber out while he stared dumbfounded in a fixed gaze from the sight ahead of him. His jaw dropped. He felt like he lost the ability to move. 

"What do you mean?" Skye questioned, tilting her head and narrowing her brow. "You know who he is. It's Ollie. Remember I handed you him when I had to talk to Remedy." 

"But how-It was just a hat a second ago, how is this possible?"

"One word," Skye lifted one finger for emphasis. "Magic."

The two teenagers watched Ollie quickly fly towards the guards. He uttered a battle call when he hit one of the guards at full force with his body, causing the guard to stumble to the ground. Ollie faced the other three. He pulled a nasty face before leaping towards them. Two of the IO Guards started to fire at Ollie, but the bullets appeared to sink inside him. It didn't seem to affect the creature in any way. 

"Is he going to be ok?" Orin asked, finally finding the ability to move again. 

Skye answered with a smile, waving her arm while she talked. "He'll be fine. It's not his first time getting shot. His fluffy body will protect him."

"This isn't his first time? What happened before?" 

"You don't want to know." She grabbed onto Orin's hand. "Now come on, let's go while Ollie is fighting them. You've got a family reunion to attend." Skye darted towards Lexa's house, a giggle escaping her lips. Orin kept close to her, holding her hand tightly. A chuckle of excitement left his mouth when he made it to the stairs leading to the back door. 

Standing by the door, Orin's hand hovered over the door handle. The nerves were starting to eat inside of him. He snapped out of his thoughts when he spotted Skye's hand hover over his. Orin moved his head to face her. Skye smiled with a toothy grin as she spoke with confidence. "Are you ready?"

Orin swallowed another lump that grew in his throat. Though it was correct that he was nervous about seeing her again, the look on Skye's face seemed to calm him down. There was no going back now. He was ready to see her. "Yeah," He smiled. "Let's do this."

"That's good to hear. I'm sure Lexa is just as excited to see you too. Although I feel like I should have texted her beforehand."

"What? No, that would have ruined the surprise." 

"I'm joking with you." Skye chuckled. Without thinking, the two placed their hands on the doorknob, opening up the door and giving them access to the house. "Lexa," Skye called out, jumping inside the house. "Are you here. I've got a visitor for you." 

The white-haired boy walked in with a hesitant step. His eyes darted around the interior, analyzing everything he caught sight of in the room. Nothing seemed out of place to Orin. It looked like any other modern home seen in an urban neighborhood. Still, he kept his guard up, knowing the IO. He won't be surprised if this place is secretly a prison used to lure people in a false sense of security. He noticed the walls were a blank white colour. Was this Lexa's home? Knowing her, she would have decorated the walls with rainbows, glitter and baby animals right about now.

"Skye? I didn't expect to see you here today. Well, I guess that would explain why Ollie is attacking the guards." A feminine voice called out not too far from them, taking Orin's attention away from the lack of decorations. He froze. They knew that voice. Walking into his view was his sister Lexa. Other than the tips in her hair, now being a shade of hot pink, she looked identical to when he last saw her. 

"Lexa?" Orin breathed in a hushed whisper, his vision becoming blurry. The two siblings locked eyes on one another, both falling silent. 

Lexa's eyes grew wide, and her jaw hung slightly open from the sight in front of her. "Orin?" She questioned, rubbing her eyes to make sure they weren't playing a trick on her.

"Hey, ugly," Orin was the one to break the silence. A tear rolled down his cheek, followed by chocked laughter. The annoyed look on his sister's face brought some inner peace to the teenager.

"You're one to talk, weeb," Lexa blubbered out before running to her brother and trapping him in a tight embrace. She buried her face into his shoulder while a fountain of tears escaped her eyes. "How are you here? Why are you here?" She stared at him a mixture of confusion and fear grew on her face. 

"What do you think? I'm here to take you home." 

"Wait, home? But what about our father? You know what he will do to you if you return."

"I don't care. What matters is getting you out of Apollo. Look, we can find a new home, somewhere safe for both of us, and far away from him."

"I'm not leaving," 

Orin pulled away from Lexa. He lightly tilted his head while his brow furrowed. "What?" Orin questioned. "Why don't you want to leave?" 

Lexa turned her head away before looking back at her brother. She spoke softly. "It's not that I don't want to leave. It's because I can't," She began to fiddle with her fingers, her eyes never looking away from Orin. "Agent Jonesy hired me to keep people in the loop. If I go against his order, the IO will hunt me down. I know I'm one of the best hunters around, but I'm not that good. I don't want to spend the rest of my life running for safety."

"But what about after when the job's over. What will you do?"

"I don't know."

A quick snort of laughter escaped Orin's mouth. "Wow," He muttered. "And you always said that I was the one that never planned ahead." 

"Well, it's true," Lexa objected. "You find me, and then we find a new home. How are we going to do that? Where would we go?" 

Orin shrugged his shoulders, his head looking down. He sighed. "Ok, to be fair, I didn't plan the parts for after I found you. I thought it was going to be a while until I see you," 

"Hang on, how long have you been on Apollo for?"

"Three days." 

Skye was surprised to see Lexa giggle at her brother's answer. Lexa went back to hug Orin tightly. "Of course, it takes you three days to find me. Some Y-Lab rescue ranger you are."

"At least I found you in less than a week." Orin debated.

"Yeah, and that's because my friend helped you," The two siblings turned to look at Skye, who was watching the two intensely, her finger dancing on top of the camera button. "Skye, thank you for bringing Orin here. I don't know what to say."

The young adventurer pulled her iconic toothy grin. She walked towards the two, placing a hand on both of their shoulders. Skye bubbled. "It's no problem. I'm happy to help a friend in need. Especially after I saved his life form an IO Guard-"

"What?" Lexa gasped, looking back at her brother. "They know you're here. How could you be so reckless?"

"In my defense, he attacked me."

A gunshot outside brought the three's attention to the window. They could barely see Ollie fighting off the last IO Guard. The creature appeared to be getting exhausted. Panic was growing in Lexa's eyes. "Orin, you need to leave," She ordered with a worried tone.

"Why? I just got here," Orin questioned, looking between his sister and Skye.

"If they find out you're here, they're going to think that you're taking me home. Orin, you're in danger." 

"I can't just leave you. Not after spending countless weeks searching for you." He grabs Lexa by the hand. "Come with me. I've been staying in Pleasant Park with a man named Vendetta. His house has enough room for you."

"I can't." She gestures to her bedroom. "If I go with you, that's going to put you and your friend's life in danger. I can't do that to you."

"But-but I-" Orin tried to debate Lexa's words, but Lexa always seems to find a way to counter them. "After everything that's happened, this feels like a hollow victory. The idea of being so close, yet not being able to interact is bullshit." He sighed. "But if it keeps us safe, then I guess I shouldn't fight it." 

"You know, I'm free on the weekends," Lexa spoke up. "I usually hang out with Skye and some other friends. You can join us if you want to. The IO doesn't monitor me during those days. I'm free to do whatever I want. Look, It sucks that this means we can only see each other on the weekends, but it's better than nothing." 

"That's a great idea," Skye smiled, looking between the siblings. "Orin, you can join Lexa and me on our adventures." 

Orin stared at his sister, a small smirk returning to his face. "Anything is better than nothing." He spoke hopefully. Another sound of gunfire erupted from outside, followed by the sound of multiple IO Guards. 

"Guys," Skye began with a concerned tone, looking through the window. "I don't think Ollie can fight much longer." She turned back to Orin. "We need to go now."

"Alright," Orin murmured at Skye. He hugged Lexa before leaving. "Promise me you won't get yourself hurt."

"Oh, please," Lexa laughed. "If anything, you're the one always getting hurt. You are perhaps the worst rescue ranger in history."

"Hey, I try my best I can't help worrying about you."

"If anything, I should be the one worrying about you. You're my little brother, after all."

"Yeah, by six minutes." 

The conversation ended with Skye grabbing onto Orin's and pulling them out of the house. The three waving goodbye before going their separate ways. 

"How's Ollie?" Orin asked, staring at the Ollie beanie that now sat upon Skye's head. Other than a few specks of dirt, the hat looked normal. The two were sitting in the back of a taxi, making their way towards Pleasant Park.

Skye turned her head to gaze at Orin. She smiled while one of her hands danced on top of her beanie. "Ollie's fine," Skye beamed. "He's just exhausted from the fight. He'll be ok." She took notice of Orin's face. He looked upset. He slumped in his seat, and his arms wrapped around his body. On his face was a small but noticeable frown. "At least you got to see Lexa again, even if it only lasted for a few minutes," She placed a reassuring hand on Orin's shoulder for comfort. "I can't imagine what it must feel like getting separated from your siblings. If you want to talk about it to me, I'll be happy to listen." 

"It just doesn't seem fair," Orin complained, his eyes staring at the floor. "I spent weeks painstakingly searching for her, and when I finally found her, we're only allowed to see each other on the weekends." He moves his head to look at Skye. "I get it's because of my safety, but it still irritates me." 

"I get what you mean, kind of."

"What do you mean?"

"You know my friend Midas. He has a little sister named Jules. They went through something similar to what you and Lexa are going through." 

"How so?"

Skye's smile faded as she took in a deep breath. She spoke in a semi-serious tone. "When Midas and Jules were young, they lost their mother, so they went to live and work in Soul. You see, Ghost and Shadow used to be one institution known as Soul, I don't know much about it, so there isn't much I can say." 

"What happened to Soul that caused it to become Ghost and Shadow?"

"It all started when the leader of Soul died. In her will, she appointed Chaos Agent as the new leader. Chaos Agent is a monster, both figuratively and literally. At least that's what Midas says. I never got to meet him, and frankly, I don't want to." Skye started to play with her beanie. "From what I've heard from people, Chaos Agent became corrupt with power. His actions caused a divide between Soul, which erupted into a civil war. After which, Midas became the leader of Ghost and Chaos Agent became the leader of Shadow."

"What happened to Jules?"

"Chaos Agent blackmailed her. He forced her to become a Shadow agent. He kept her as a prisoner as an act of revenge on Midas for taking everything from him. For three years, they couldn't see each other. If they did, they would both get arrested for treason. I don't know what the punishment for treason is in Ghost, but I do know that with Shadow, their punishment is death."

"Oh," Orin murmured, taking in all the information Skye gave him. "What happened to them?"

"It's a long story, but to put it like this, Apollo got flooded, both Midas and Chaos Agent lost their positions as the leader, and Jules became the new head of Shadow. With Chaos Agent gone and the war between Ghost and Shadow over, Jules and Midas were able to reunite without worrying about their lives being in danger. If Midas and Jules can find a way, then you and Lexa can too."

"By the sounds of it, I might need to wait three years."

"Just because Midas and Jules couldn't physically be together doesn't mean they didn't communicate with one another. During those three years. The two created a written code so they could talk to one another without drawing suspicion. The only people who know the code are Midas and Jules, of course. Look, the point is, it's not always going to be like this. One day you and Lexa can freely spend time together without worrying about your lives being in danger. Not to mention that you guys can find different ways to communicate with one another without meeting physically. For example, you can text or write in a secret code, like spies." 

Orin stared at his friend while the taxi drove over the bridge towards Pleasant Park. He uttered. "I don't think I have what it takes to be a spy, but I'll consider the advice. Thank you, Skye, for everything. For saving me from that IO Guard and helping me reunite with Lexa. I won't forget it."

"No problem, that's what friends do." She briefly looked away to see the taxi pull up to one of the houses. "If you still want to talk about it, I can get either Midas or Jules to speak with you. They might offer better advise then me."

"Thanks, but I prefer your advice."

The two teenagers shared a chuckle when the taxi pulled to a stop outsides Vendetta's house. Orin held the car door open for Skye as she jumped out of the car with a smile on her face. Once they paid the taxi driver, the two stood outside Vendetta's house, still talking to one another. Skye paused for a second to look at her phone before talking again in an upbeat tone. "I told Remedy that I finished the mission, so now I'm free for the rest of the day." She clapped her hands in delight.

Orin grinned, swinging his arms loosely while he spoke. "That's great to hear." He paused for a second, his smile slightly fading. "Wait, you didn't tell her about the IO Guards, did you?" He asked.

"No, of course not. That's going to be our little secret." She nudged Orin in the arm, followed by a wink. "Now, there's one final problem we have to face."

"What's that?"

"What am I going to do now? All my friends are busy doing their own thing and by the looks of things. I might need to lay low for a while in case the IO Guards want to interrogate me."

Orin gazed to the front door, then to Skye. An idea popped into his head. "You could hang out with me for a while if you want." He chirped. "You said earlier that you wanted to spend time with people your age. You could do that now. I've got a ton of old video games that we could play together."

"Orin, that would be fantastic." Skye beamed as Orin lead her into his home, closing the door behind him. The two smiled at one another, both being unaware that they were holding hands again.


End file.
